differential association - sutherland

• proposed crime is learnt through exposure to pro-crime attitudes and behaviours in the family.
• people will imitate and learn from their family
• they will internalise deviant norms/values and pro-crime attitudes
• pro-crime is any attitude that does not reject crime and law breaking. they make an individual believe crime is fruitiful and has value.
• strength:

  • research supporting differential association. Farrington (1995) investigated antisocial behaviour in 411 men in London and found approximately 45% went on to commit crime. of those, Farrington identified that crime in the family was one of serveral common traits. This suggests exposure to criminal attitudes and behaviours does influence people to commit crime themselves.
• weaknesses:

  • many anomilies that the explanation cannot explain. It cannot explain why some people who are raised in pro-crime families do not go on to commit crime themselves, nor can it explain why some people commit crime despite not being exposed to it by family/friends
• weaknesses:

  • hard to measure 'exposure to pro-crime attitudes', it is not possible to tell how much exposure leads to criminality. It is not likley that exposure to pro-crime attitudes/behaviours alone can lead to criminality. Farrington suggested it was only one of several common traits in the 411 men, highlighting that poverty and low educational achievement were factors that played a part.